Wingform – Movement 1

Barry O Halpin

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Ensemble

2020

Bass Clarinet

Bass Flute

Cello

Clarinet

Double Bass

Electric Guitar

Electronic Keyboard

Wingform – Movement 1 by Barry O Halpin

Program Notes: Wingform is an hour-length ensemble work in four movements. It is the culmination of Barry O’Halpin’s period as Crash Ensemble composer-in-residence, alongside his first few years as the group's electric guitarist, commissioned with funds from the Arts Council of Ireland. Wingform combines O’Halpin’s experimental and highly personal approach to the electric guitar with a fascination toward the contrasts and uncanny commonalities between ‘wild’ sounds in nature and human-made music and machinery, exploring these interactions in vividly surreal ways which take full advantage of Crash’s calibre as Ireland’s leading contemporary music ensemble. Two solo guitar works with an exploratory approach to tuning and technique – one resonantly melodic, the other percussive – are segmented between movements, acting as reservoirs of material to be swallowed up and reshaped by the ensemble. Similarly, each movement functions as a standalone piece or as part of the larger whole. The title alludes to an equally important source of sonic material: a short recording of an Asian tiger mosquito swarm, with wing vibrations and background electrical hum merged together into a haunting drone. Transcribed for ensemble, then contorted and fragmented into various shapes, this shape-shifting mantra permeates four diverse movements, with wave-like overlapping chords and rushing melodies tightly interwoven with the guitar and other musical elements. "I was awestruck by Barry O’Halpin’s Wingform when I saw Crash give it its online premiere at New Music Dublin 2021; live, I was even more taken. This work slowly morphs across a wide spectrum over its hour-long length, from the whining, skittering solo-guitar ‘Grave Goods’ movements to spiky and mechanical tutti movements. It is an uncanny and brittle work whose tension never slackens for a moment. It also has the most inspiring guitar writing I’ve ever heard in a classical context.” James Camien McGuiggan, Huddersfield Festival 2022 review, The Journal of Music
Recording Notes: From the Crash Ensemble Wingform album recording (2022) https://crashensemble.bandcamp.com/album/wingform. This recording of Movements 1(a) & (b), with solo guitar intro & interlude, are as a standalone work as well as part of the larger album/composition. Credits: Electric Guitar: Barry O’Halpin Flutes: Susan Doyle Clarinet: Macdara Ó Seireadáin Clarinet and Bass Clarinet: Deirdre O'Leary Trombone: Colm O’Hara Percussion: Alex Petcu Piano: Máire Carroll Violin: Larissa O'Grady Viola: Lisa Dowdall Cello: Kate Ellis Double Bass: Caimin Gilmore Oscillators: Alex Petcu and Máire Carroll Conductor: Ryan McAdams Ensemble: Recorded, mixed and mastered by Adrian Hart, Smock Alley Theatre, Dublin Solos: Recorded, edited and mixed by Ben Rawlins, Rothe House, Kilkenny. Album remix and master by Adrian Hart.
Record Label: Crash Records
Performer Credits: Crash Ensemble & Barry O'Halpin (electric guitar solo)
Publisher: Barry O'Halpin
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